Claims that South Africa’s top matric was snubbed by the education department are false

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has debunked the allegations that it snubbed South Africa’s top-performing public school matric student when celebrating the class of 2025.

Abigail Kok was South Africa’s top matric achiever for the class of 2025.

Kok, a student at York High School in George, Western Cape, was officially named the national top performer in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube on January 12, 2026.

She achieved an impressive average of 98.4% across her subjects and was also recognised as the top candidate in Physical Sciences.

Then, a post went viral claiming that Kok was not mentioned or invited to the MTN Top 40 Achievers Breakfast event held earlier that day at the MTN Innovation Centre in Johannesburg.

The posts suggested this omission was “racially motivated.” However, this is simply untrue.

Basic Education Minister spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa confirmed with Newsday that Abigail attended the Top Achievers Breakfast and also attended the Release of NSC results, where she received 3 awards.

She was first in Quintile 5, first in Physical Sciences, and the National Top Achiever in Public Schools.

“It’s highly unfair on Abigail to be brought into such things, she does not deserve this,” said the spokesperson.

Multiple reports confirm, including from the George Herald, that Kok was indeed invited to and attended the MTN event, where 40 top achievers were honoured by the minister before the full results announcement.

She spoke to the media at the venue, describing the invitation as feeling “unreal.”

Photos and accounts from the event show her presence, and she was publicly celebrated nationwide across various media outlets, including interviews where she shared study tips like avoiding procrastination and maintaining balance.

In comments to IOL News on the sidelines of the event, she noted, “It feels completely surreal to stand here today. It’s a bit of a dream come true, and I’ve only got gratitude.”

Kok plans to study at Stellenbosch University starting in 2026.

She has already registered for a degree in Actuarial Science, but has expressed a strong interest in transitioning to Data Science once possible.